Monday, October 27, 2014

The Iron Tonic

With the 1969 publication of The Iron Tonic: Or A Winter Afternoon in Lonely Valley, Edward Gorey began his foray into publishing signed, limited edition, collectible volumes that would continue for the next 31 years. Published by the Albondocani Press in an edition of 200 numbered and 26 lettered copies, The Iron Tonic has one of the smallest runs of any first edition Gorey book.
In addition to copy #37/200 of this title (which I was able to get in the 1990's), I recently added lettered copy E/26 to my collection. The 26 lettered copies of this title have proved to be especially elusive over the years, with lettered copies rarely coming onto the market.
The Iron Tonic also has one of the earliest announcement cards heralding the sale of a new book by Mr. Gorey. The plain white card is simply printed with information and is blank on the reverse side.
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2 comments:

  1. HenryNovember 1, 2014 at 9:06 AM

    I just received my numbered copy, (from the same former collection as your lettered copy). It was funny because I saw your post the same day it came in the mail. Mine came with a gallery proof for the 2000 Harcourt reprint, although I think I would have rather had the original announcement card.

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  2. ampootozoteNovember 1, 2014 at 3:25 PM

    I have had the announcement card for a number of years...just not the lettered edition. Even though I have many lettered editions of Gorey's works, I tend not to worry about them too much if there is no difference between the lettered and numbered copies. I felt I should make an effort on this one because it is the first...

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